UConn FG beats West Virginia in overtime

Published 11:44 pm, Friday, October 29, 2010

EAST HARTFORD -- The UConn football team has solved the West Virginia jinx. In what is fast becoming an unpredictable Big East season apparently anything can happen.

Dave Teggart hit a 27-yard field goal in overtime as the Huskies beat the Mountaineers for the first time in its history, scoring a 16-13 victory before a boisterous, chilly crowd of 40,000.

The Huskies (4-4, 1-2), playing their first conference home game of the season and their first game of any kid at Rentschler Field in nearly a month, showed some remarkable resolve.

UConn won the overtime coin toss and, of course, chose to go on defense first. West Virginia drove all the way down to the 1-yard line with its possession, but fullback Ryan Clarke fumbled on first-and-goal.

UConn then marched inside the 10 behind running back Jordan Todman. Teggart kicked the game-winner on third down to kickoff the celebration.

West Virginia (5-3, 1-2) was undone by turnovers, much as it was last week against Syracuse.

The Mountaineers had won each of the previous six meetings between the teams, most in blowout fashion. Only last season's dramatic 28-24 comeback victory by West Virginia stands out.

West Virginia jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead but the game was tied 13-13 at the end of regulation.

Quarterback Zach Frazer, making his first start since Sept. 25 against Buffalo, finished 18-of-29 for 166 yards. Todman ran 33 times for 113 yards.

After taking over at their own 13 yard line with 5:02 to play regulation -- only after Taylor Mack recovered his own fumble of a West Virginia punt -- the Huskies went three-and-out. Frazer just missed wide receiver Michael Smith on a long pass on first down, but the Huskies still were forced to punt from deep in their own end.

Somehow the UConn defense made another stand and forced West Virginia to punt as well. But after taking over at its own 1, UConn ran the ball four straight times to send the game into overtime.

West Virginia entered the game fourth nationally in total defense (245.9) and had allowed only eight touchdowns all season.

A pair of fourth-down gambles by both UConn's Randy Edsall and West Virginia's Bill Stewart just after halftime shifted the momentum and tied the score.

West Virginia's fourth-and-2 effort from the UConn 26 resulted in a fumble. UConn then took that turnover and marched down the field to tie the game at 10 -- aided by a rather gutsy fourth-and-3 call from Edsall at the 30 and Todman's 24-yard touchdown scamper two plays later.

Tyler Bitancurt's 42-yard field goal put the Mountaineers ahead 13-10 late in the third quarter as Stewart's offense came through on a key fourth-and-short this time.

After a Geno Smith fumble -- by virtue of UConn linebacker Sio Moore's second forced fumble in the game -- wide receiver Kashif Moore got behind the West Virginia defense and hauled in a 40-yard pass from Frazer. But the Huskies had to settle for a short Dave Teggart field goal and a 13-13 tie.

Teggart's 39-yard field goal with one second left before halftime gave the Huskies some hope by making it 10-3. It also kept their streak of scoreless quarters from reaching a very painful eight.

Brad Starks scored on a 53-yard run on the first play of West Virginia's second possession, an end-round that saw the wide receiver run untouched through the Husky defense to paydirt.

A 36-yard field goal by Bitancurt late in the first quarter put the visitors ahead 10-0. At that point UConn had gained eight total yards.

UConn offense went three-and-out on each of its first five drives Friday, and even a turnover by its defense couldn't jumpstart the Huskies' engine.